She’d managed well, holding her fear at bay, helping the injured, staying out of the way of the bad tempered, generally keeping to herself unless the situation demanded it. She was doing well. Piper had managed to take her mind off anything negative that had happened to her in the past few weeks, trying to move past it.
However, her hard work crumbled as she spotted Lori on the other side of the room, the sight of her cousin bringing back the rush of harsh memories, the reminder of the sting on her cheek, reminding her how things had ended the last time they had spoken. Doing her best not to react, Piper turned, trying not to be spotted by her cousin, knowing it was probably pointless.
She gazed out the window before a small sigh left her and she turned back again, trying to catch Lori’s eyes, wanting to get anything negative out of the way, to know what their relationship would be now, if it was irreparably damaged or not. “Lori.”
Though he was still in pain, and he was unable to even try being civil to anyone, Andy’s spirits lifted, along with his miserable expression, as soon as he saw the familiar blonde hair of one of his closest friends, the one who had been there fro him, even though he had been a terrible friend more than once.
Seeing Lori standing on the other side of the room, conversing, living, breathing, it was enough to make Andy forget the pain he felt for a little while, it made him forget the problems he faced. He crossed the room swiftly, standing behind the blonde, not too close, but close enough that he could hear her properly, the sound relaxing him further. If Lori was alive than maybe the world could go on spinning.
Clearing his throat slightly, alerting his friend to his arrival, he spoke quietly. “Lori...” The one word held more emotion than he cared to admit, but it was a well known fact that the pair of them tended to get emotional together. “I’m so happy to see you...”
Memories That Fade Like A Photograph // Juliet&Cris
( @crisroe )
For over a week that small piece of paper had weighed heavily in her pocket, in her mind. It was crinkled, slightly torn at one side, a bit singed from the flames that licked at Fall City too, but the depiction on the small square was one that both warmed her heard and made her blood run cold. Cristine and a young boy, probably her son by the way she looked at him.
Juliet had kept the photo safe somehow, intending on returning it to its rightful owner, the image depicting happier, better times. And while it had no sentimental meaning to the blonde, her mission of returning the photo being a reason to keep going through the never ending forests, ignore the butting of heads that had inevitably come to pass.
And now, seeing everyone who had survived all crammed into one part of an old abandoned hospital, Juliet had let out a sigh of relief. Things were different, but some things stayed the same, something she realised as she spotted Cris chatting with someone, talking animatedly, and she moved closer. “Cris… I think I have something of yours.”
The attitude and atmosphere in her small group had changed so drastically over the space of mere days it almost gave Piper whiplash, they had gone from caring for one another to being at each others throats, fighting, and a state of almost constant anger.
So when they had practically been frogmarched from the warehouse, Piper had been more than a little afraid, though as soon as she saw a face across the space ahead of them, her expression shifted into a wide grin. Others.
Though she was definitely not one of Juliet’s favourite people, the sight of Lori across the grass outside the church they were currently holed up in was one that made a smile spread across her face. If Lori was there, it had to mean there were other survivors.
Without really thinking about it, Juliet broke into a run, headed straight for the other blonde, who was exactly the type of person she needed to see, someone who had not been in her immediate group, someone that proved her hope had not been foolish.
It was only last week Andy had been lounging about the house, drinking with his friends, only last week he had welcomed his new roommate into the house. Since he had bugged the nerd in the community centre. Since he had been yelled at by a small, angry blonde for interfering in "business that wasn't his own". Again.
But now it was every man for himself. Under usual circumstances Andy wouldn't have reacted how he did, shoving people out of his way violently, be they friend or a simple acquaintance. But these were not the usual circumstances. They'd been bombed and infected were roaming the streets for flesh, which was running dumbly in abundance. And for once, Andy was not doing the same. He knew he had to get out of there, and nothing was to stand in his way. He was going to survive.
He practically sprinted towards the weapons shed, pushing people out of his way, even shoving someone he'd seen around town into the clutches of an infected so they got out of his way. He needed something more to protect him than just his knife and fists.
He didn't realise he'd run into a familiar person until he felt a fist in his face, but he didn't even care. He just needed out. The only time he cared was when someone tried to pull his gun away from him, to which he retaliated by putting his knife through their skin, where on their body he didn't know, all Andy knew was that he had a problem and he solved it. And it felt good. It felt strangely freeing.
He knew the next logical step would be to steal someone's car, or hitchhike with someone, but logic was no longer something he cared about. So he ran straight into the thick of it, narrowly dodging claws and teeth, shoving anyone out of his pathway, still not caring. He saw a familiar face coming towards him, scared, but he could also see the bite marring their skin, so he lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, hitting them in the forehead, their body dropping immediately as a grin settled on Andy's face.
Finally breaking free of the mass, he saw figures running for the forest, cars driving off - probably towards the highway, and he paused only long enough to make a decision, deciding to follow into the forest, only until he found another route to safety.
Andy continued on his path, his mind reeling, his breathing heavy as he continued running, his feet aching, his body sweaty. This was more exercise than he’d got in months, and he just wanted to stop. But there was no place for him to be safe, not for miles, most likely. So he ran, reluctantly, until he spotted a barn in the distance, causing a sigh of relief to fall from his lips as he finally got near.
If she was right it was early April when everything went to shit, she wasn't sure if her birthday had passed or not, the day's had blended together, she was only able to tell the month due to the fact the weather was changing, she could finally open a window in the home she shared with someone new again. She didn't even know their name, she didn't particularly care. She didn't want to know her roommate, not if they didn't make equal effort. But that was a different problem, one that would apparently be fixed soon enough anyway.
It had to be April when it all fell apart, literally before her eyes. She'd been awoken by the sounds of explosions and the smell of fire, a scent that had always enticed her. It was one that reminded her of better times, but in this day and age, fire was not a good sign, so she'd left the relative comfort of her bed, deciding to find out what was going on, apparently much like other residents.
The sight she beheld is not one that she enjoyed, infected pouring in through the gates which had toppled over, guard towers fallen with them. Fire in the distance of the red district. Springing into action she bolted back inside, screaming for her roomie to wake up, just in case, she wasn't going to wait for him and save him. Now wasn't the time for stupidity in the guise of heroics. There was no place for that in this world.
She entered her room quickly, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her weapons, and the car keys she kept close at all times, and left for the garages, not sparing a thought for anything else in her home, not clothes, belongings, the things she treasured the most. She couldn't afford to be sentimental.
Juliet sprinted for the weapons shack, punching at least three people to get to some ammo and another few guns, before leaving and continuing her path to the garage, hoping her silver prius hadn't already been stolen by another survivor. If it was gone she was done for. She, surprisingly was one of the first few to enter the shed, and went straight for the car she enjoyed driving more than she should have, and unlocked the thing, peeling out of the garage with only the squeal of her tires to echo behind her, the skid marks on the ground the last piece of proof that Juliet Valour had ever been in Fall City.
She drove frantically through the square, swerving around humans and zombies alike, honking her horn loudly to gain the attention of a survivor close enough that they could jump in, escape together. This happened a few times before she finally managed to gain a clear exit, flooring the gas pedal and peeling out of the town centre, the fading taillights ahead of her proving that she wasn't alone.
Only when she was far enough away did she look through the rear view mirror, the faint outline of Fall City becoming but a mere dot in the distance, only then did she allow herself to feel. Feel the agony, the fear, the loss. She realised, as she drove, she had no idea who had made it out of the city, if anyone had, except for the few in her car, and whoever was ahead of her on the road. She didn’t know if anyone she cared about was alive. Terra, Lyra, Ivy, even Lori and her stupid emotions weighed on her mind as she left the place she had finally managed to call home, finally feel as though she could stay there and be happy.
Everything you touch surely dies.
The familiar song lyric ran through her head once more as she continued following the other car, and clearly Fall City had suffered the same fate as other things in her life. She loved it, and it fell apart. It died.
